Digital Commons Network^™

Sentinels Of Security -- A Case For State Leadership In The Quantum Era, J.T. Ayotte

Minnesota Journal of Law, Science & Technology

No abstract provided.

The Past, Present, And Future Of Customer Knowledge Management: A Review And Research Agenda, Victoria Y. Ourzik

Research Outputs: 2025-Present

We develop and present a framework for research in customer knowledge management (CKM) that synthesizes insights from a comprehensive literature review spanning 2000 to 2024. This framework highlights the determinants, impacts, and moderators shaping CKM and its role in contemporary organizations. Using this approach, we organize and categorize existing research across various disciplines, identifying multiple definitions of customer knowledge based on their theoretical underpinnings and research fields. Building on this synthesis, we propose an interdisciplinary definition of the CKM construct that integrates diverse perspectives. Finally, we outline evolving issues within CKM, highlight key research gaps, and set a forward-looking agenda …

Being &Becoming, Valeentina Rodrigues Da Rocha

Grado en Diseño de Moda

Actualmente, vivimos la moda desde ciclos productivos acelerados e industrializados, siendo cada vez más difícil volver a lo imperecedero. Las casas de moda, que antes actuaban con ritmos calmados, se encuentran operando bajo un calendario acelerado, presentando de 4 a 6 colecciones anuales. Contribuyendo a la pérdida de valor del tiempo, el saber hacer y la creatividad. En sus colecciones comerciales cada vez vemos menos atención en la construcción de las prendas, y a más aún en sus materiales y acabados. Este proyecto tiene como objetivo analizar y reinterpretar las técnicas constructivas de la Alta Costura. Se pretende aprender y …

Yí Collective, Alba Gordillo Juan

Grado en Diseño de Moda

El presente proyecto se basa en el desarrollo de una marca comercial de prêt-à porter de lujo, que concibe la moda como lenguaje artístico, humano y culturalmente significativo. La propuesta se fundamenta en la recuperación y la reinterpretación de valores y técnicas tradicionales de la artesanía china, en particular la caligrafía, la pintura y la vestimenta, para integrarlos en un marco contemporáneo de diseño europeo, a través de la producción de prendas unisex. El objetivo principal es posicionar la marca como una casa de moda conceptual de referencia internacional, capaz de actuar como puente intercultural entre Oriente y Occidente y …

Leveraging Ai-Powered Personalization To Enhance Customer Experience In E-Commerce, Yousef Shelaik

Selected Full Text Dissertations, 2011-

This study delves into the complexities of integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI) into e- commerce, exploring its profound impact on marketing strategies, customer personalization, and decision-making processes. As AI technology rapidly becomes a staple in digital commerce, businesses encounter formidable challenges. These include the hurdles of seamlessly implementing sophisticated AI personalization tools, safeguarding consumer privacy amidst growing ethical concerns, and the daunting task of adhering to evolving regulatory standards. This study aimed to explore how AI-driven personalization influences customer engagement in e-commerce environments. It examined technologies such as recommendation systems and personalized marketing, analyzing their relationship on user interaction. This study …

The Information And Communication Behaviors Of Marcus Garvey And The Universal Negro Improvement Association (Unia), Janet Douglas-Pryce

Selected Full Text Dissertations, 2011-

Marcus Garvey, social activist and founder of the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) in the early twentieth century, has been widely studied for his Pan-African approach to the social upliftment of Black communities during a period marked by segregation and systemic injustice. His messages of empowerment attracted global attention and supported the growth of a movement that reached more than one million members worldwide. While Garvey and the UNIA have been examined from historical, political, and cultural perspectives, they have not been systematically studied through the lens of information and communication behavior. This study examines the information and communication behaviors …

Infrared Systems And Their Application On Target Detection And Geolocation, Li Zhang

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

The infrared spectrum contains various sub-bands (from near infrared (NIR) to long-wave infrared (LWIR), which are specialized at different detection tasks. Objects that are well camouflaged to human vision can be highly noticeable in NIR imagery. For vision navigation, the varying illumination condition and the cluttered urban background poses challenges in the visible band but can easily be resolved by using a thermal imager operating in LWIR. Despite this potential, practical deployment remains limited by the lack of suitable platforms, task-specific datasets, and long-duration field validation. This dissertation addresses these gaps through the design and evaluation of two infrared sensing …

Pseudo-Boiling Of Supercritical Co2 In A Parallel-Flow Microchannel And A Micro-Jets Impingement Device And Single-Phase And Two-Phase Heat Transfer Of Subcritical Co2 Jets, Pranzal Ahmed

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

Carbon dioxide (CO2) is gaining attention as a low-toxicity, zero-ozone-depletion refrigerant with a global warming potential of 1, making it an attractive alternative to synthetic HFCs/HFOs. Near its critical point, CO2's thermophysical properties change sharply with small shifts in temperature and pressure — a behavior that can be exploited to enhance heat transfer in trans-critical power cycles and electronics cooling. This dissertation experimentally investigates heat transfer during the pseudo-boiling of supercritical CO2 in a parallel-flow microchannel and a micro-jet impingement device, alongside CO2 flow boiling and single-phase water heat transfer in micro-jet impingement. Using microfluidic devices instrumented with embedded resistance …

Bowtie Antenna-Coupled Bi₂Te₃–Sb₂Te₃ Thermoelectric Detector For Millimeter-Wave Radiation, Rumana Zahir

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

We explore the development of antenna-coupled thermoelectric detectors for long-wavelength radiation using sputtered bismuth telluride (Bi₂Te₃) and antimony telluride (Sb₂Te₃) thin films. Detection in the infrared, millimeter-wave, and terahertz regimes is critical for sensing, imaging, and energy applications; however, many existing detectors rely on cryogenic operation, exhibit narrow spectral response, or require complex material systems. In this work, we investigate the feasibility of reliable, room-temperature long-wavelength detection using microfabricated thermoelectric thin films integrated with antenna structures. A systematic full-factorial experimental approach was employed to determine how sputtering parameters and post-deposition annealing influence …

Photothermal Excitation And Optical Interferometric Readout Of Mos2 Nanomechanical Resonators, Sadia Afrin

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

Two-dimensional (2D) materials have emerged as promising candidates for nanoelectromechanical systems (NEMS) due to their exceptional mechanical, optical, and electrical properties. Among these materials, molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) has attracted considerable interest for nanomechanical resonator applications because of its low mass density, high mechanical strength, and semiconducting nature. This thesis presents the fabrication, theoretical modeling, and experimental characterization of suspended MoS2 drumhead resonators. The devices were fabricated by mechanically exfoliating MoS2 flakes from bulk MoS2 crystals and transferring selected flakes onto pre-patterned substrates using a dry-transfer process. Mechanical resonance was excited through photothermal actuation using a modulated blue laser, while device …

Soil Texture And Organic Matter Influence Hydraulic Performance Of Stormwater Infiltration Systems Across Antecedent Moisture Conditions, Laura E. Andrade Barron

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

Stormwater infiltration systems are widely used to improve urban stormwater management by promoting drainage and groundwater recharge while treating nonpoint source pollution such as nutrients in surface runoff. Nutrient removal and hydrologic performance of these systems are closely coupled and both are dependent on characteristics of underlying soils. In this study, laboratory flow-through experiments were conducted using 30 intact cores taken from six soil types with different textures (0.99-16.63% clay content) and organic matter contents (OMC 0.44-93.3%). Measured cumulative fluxes from laboratory experiments were used to calibrate numerical models simulating flow through porous media (HYDRUS-1D). Calibrated models were used to …

Charge Transport Modeling Of Multifunctional Molecular Transistors, Romena Akter

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

Distinguishing between the current–voltage characteristic curves associated with different transport mechanisms in a molecular electronic device and an artifact arising from device-level disorder is a central challenge in the study of molecular electronics. Characterizing these mechanisms and connecting them qualitatively to molecular-level orbital alignment, electrode coupling, voltage division, energetic disorder, and reorganization energy requires not only experimental data but also a rigorous theoretical framework for extracting physically meaningful parameters from measured transfer characteristics. This dissertation addresses this challenge in Chapters 2, 3, and 4 by developing and applying four complementary transport models —Simmons tunneling, single-level Landauer, Marcus hopping, and McConnell …

Numerical Investigation Of Reacting Flow In Pmma-Fueled Solid Fuel Scramjet Combustors Under Experimental Test Conditions, Hunter Bassett

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

A simplified steady RANS-based numerical study of reacting flow in solid-fuel scramjet combustors is presented to evaluate the ability of commercial CFD frameworks to reproduce key features observed in experimental test sections. The work focuses on solid PMMA fuel in two supersonic combustor configurations: a cavity-assisted flameholding combustor and a variable-angle diverging combustor. The cavity combustor is analyzed as a baseline case and results are compared directly with experimental data. Three combustor geometry states corresponding to ignition, early-burning, and steady-burning conditions are investigated. Meshes are assessed through a systematic grid refinement method to establish grid independence. A novel variable-angle diverging …

Connecting The Existing Fiber Infrastructure To The Future With Antiresonant Hollow Core Fibers, Timothy Bate

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

Optical fiber systems based on solid-core silica waveguides underpin modern telecommunications, high-power laser delivery, precision sensing, and coherent optical systems. However, nonlinear effects, material absorption, and thermal limitations within silica increasingly constrain further scaling in both optical power and transmission performance. Antiresonant hollow-core fibers provide a promising alternative by guiding light predominantly in air, substantially reducing nonlinear interactions, latency, and optical damage while enabling transmission regimes inaccessible to conventional solid-core fibers. Despite rapid advances in antiresonant hollow-core fiber attenuation and power handling, one of the largest remaining barriers to widespread adoption is reliable integration with the existing solid-core fiber ecosystem. …

Making Unsafe Sequences Unexecutable: Formal Protocol Enforcement For Cyber-Physical Systems, Arthur Amorim

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

Cyber-physical systems execute physical actions in response to software commands, making their communication protocols a primary attack surface. A stealthy attack is a sequence of individually valid messages that violates a required ordering, driving the system into an unsafe state without malware or protocol violation. Existing defenses examine messages or physical state in isolation, not protocol level sequences, and cannot prevent them. Preventing them requires enforcement that makes unsafe sequences unexecutable at the communication boundary.

Formal methods offer a principled path to enforcement, but no tool spans specification to safe deployed hardware. Model checking automates proofs but has no certified …

Effects Of Back-Pressure On Pseudo-Shock Systems, Emil C. Alunno

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

The isolator of a scramjet engine houses a pseudo-shock, a compressive flow structure that raises the static pressure and decelerates the incoming supersonic flow for efficient combustion while shielding the inlet from the elevated pressure downstream. Under sufficient back pressure the leading shock bifurcates and forms a shock train followed by a shockless mixing region, and the resulting system oscillates even under nominally steady conditions; this unsteadiness distorts the flow, can drive the pseudo-shock out of the isolator and unstart the inlet. This thesis experimentally examines how a pseudo-shock in a constant-area isolator at a measured entrance Mach number of …

Integrated Optical Probes For Confocal Scanning Imaging And Adjustable Coherent-Gated Dynamic Sensing, Yonglin Huang

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

Optics and photonics have been one of the most important sciences and technologies that impact modern human life in a big way. For example, fiber-optics for communications and artificial intelligence. Optical probes are critical components for optical imaging and optical sensing technologies that have been actively researched and developed in the past decades. Advanced fiber-optic sensor probes with smaller size, better performance, lower noise, higher photon efficiency, rapid sensing time, and lower cost are needed in many applications, such as nanoscale material science, chemistry, and biomedical fields, etc.  In this project, new fiber-optic sensor probe technologies and integrated micro-optic devices …

Cultivating Workplace Happiness In Technology Workers, Cherie A. Herrin

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

Technology workers are central to the innovation and performance of modern organizations and retaining them is a persistent challenge for modern organizations. One important aspect of retention in many contexts is Workplace Happiness, which has been argued to improve worker performance and reduce turnover; however, there is little empirical evidence of the effectiveness of these interventions for technology workers. This dissertation develops a model in which two affective states, Workplace Happiness and Workplace Distress, mediate the relationships between six socio-technical work conditions and two behavioral outcomes: Turnover Intent and Work Execution (i.e., self-rated work performance and quality). A systematic literature …

Communication College Students And Their Career Readiness: An Evaluation From The Employer's Perspective, Carson Mann

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

Higher education institutions are seen as places that educate students in specific subjects and provide training that leads to either a career or further learning opportunities. Unfortunately, public trust in higher education has plummeted since 2015. The evolution of higher education has been the subject of speculation by various groups, but developing translational skills through effective internships could very well solve the issue at hand. Institutions ought to have data -driven evidence about their disciplines’ effectiveness and their translational ability to the workforce. To understand this, student career readiness must be evaluated. Students' career readiness is a vital measure of …

Genuine And Meaningful Black Character Narratives In Video Games, Derek L. Manns

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

The lack of Black representation in video games reflects stereotypes and hollow narratives. Authentic and meaningful design of Black characters allows Black players a reflection of emotional attachments everyone wants when playing a game. Examining racial identities through avatars, critiquing the notion that customization equates to racial inclusivity, limited options and predominant, white-coded protagonists reinforce systemic biases in games (Dietrich, 2013). My Afrofuturistic content analysis framework explores Black culture with a future of speculative fiction. Reimagining the past, present, and future through Black narratives for alternate futures (Womack). Integrating these ideas enhance culture and aesthetics in this dissertation to highlight …

Towards An Understanding Of Learning In Immersive Virtual Reality: Investigating Learning Affordances To Bridge Theory And Practice, Gregory Mcgowin

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

This dissertation examines how modality-specific scaffolding shapes performance, presence, and transfer in immersive virtual reality (I-VR). Framed through theories of extended cognition, real-time guidance is conceptualized as cognitive scaffolding that structures perception and action by embedding task-relevant information within the environment. Situated within the learning sciences and informed by 4E cognition (embodied, embedded, enactive, extended), this work develops a framework for understanding how I-VR affordances relate to learning and performance.

The empirical study investigates how scaffolding modality (audio vs. visual) influences presence and performance in a VR racing simulation. Using a 3 × 2 × 2 mixed factorial design, 111 …

Experimental And Computational Characterization Of A Rotorcraft-Tiltrotor Model Using Morphing Wings For Whirl Flutter Instability, Darrell Nieves Lugo

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

Tiltrotor rotorcraft configurations combine the capabilities of vertical and forward flight, offering a crucial and advantageous design for maximizing the operational flight envelope. This versatility enables broad adaptability across numerous designs and platforms, including unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), micro-air vehicles (MAVs), and vertical take-off and landing (VTOLs) aircraft. However, propeller-based aircraft are susceptible to an aeroelastic instability at high flight speeds known as whirl flutter. This instability phenomena is a crucial research task and problem to investigate, as with advances in manufacturing and vehicle designs, these can yield new rotorcraft formats capable of advancing the flight envelopes at higher cruise …

Two-Phase Transcritical Carbon Dioxide Flow At The Microscale For Thermal Management Applications, Soroush Niazi

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

High-power electronic and power-conversion devices now generate heat fluxes that exceed what conventional air- and single-phase-liquid cooling can dissipate, motivating the search for more capable coolants and cooling mechanisms. Carbon dioxide is an attractive candidate for this role: it is inexpensive, non-toxic, and environmentally friendly, and near its critical point its thermophysical properties change rapidly, which raises the heat-transfer coefficient. In addition, a large pressure drop produces strong cooling through the Joule–Thomson effect and phase change, so that the throttling element itself becomes a source of cooling. This dissertation studies the throttling, phase change, and choking of high-pressure carbon dioxide …

Hidden Gem, Fraught Liability, Or Visible Asset? The Museum Of Contemporary Art Jacksonville, Keidra D. Navaroli

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

This dissertation utilizes a combination of archival research, qualitative interviews, and data-driven analyses to examine how the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) Jacksonville came under the governance of the University of North Florida (UNF). Founded in 1924, MOCA became a cultural institute of UNF in 2009 during the Great Recession. Tracing MOCA’s reinventions and geospatial movements across Jacksonville, this study considers the ideologies that informed the museum’s development, the locations that defined its service to Northeast Florida, and the financial conditions that necessitated its eventual rescue by a public university. The museum’s challenges are reflective of larger tensions in the …

Discrete Element Modeling Of Granular Soils: Critical State Behavior Applied To Impact Pile Driving, Esteban Patino Marin

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

This thesis investigates the use of the Discrete Element Method (DEM) to study two complementary aspects of granular soil mechanics: critical state behavior of granular materials and dynamic response of driven piles in sand, both of which are governed by the same particle-scale mechanisms of dilation, contraction, and fabric evolution.

The first examines the critical state behavior and fabric anisotropy of granular soils through DEM simulations of direct shear, direct simple shear, and true triaxial tests. Sphere-cluster particles representative of a uniform sand are used in two assemblages of approximately twenty-five thousand and one hundred twenty-five thousand spheres to evaluate …

Performing The Digital Identity: A Media Discourse Analysis Of Online Identity Construction, Dalya Qasem

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

This dissertation investigates how news media construct narratives about TikTok and its role in shaping digital identity. While existing scholarship has examined issues such as privacy, marketing, and entertainment, less attention has been given to how identity is represented, negotiated, and understood within public discourse. Using Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) combined with computational text analysis through Voyant Tools, this study analyzes a corpus of 111 news articles published between 2020 and 2025 that explicitly reference TikTok and identity. The analysis identifies prominent keywords, topics, and rhetorical patterns across media texts. Furthermore, the research demonstrates a critical analysis of popular understandings …

Advancing Cyber-Physical Security And Resilience Of Modern Power Systems: Intelligent Monitoring, Secure Operation, And Resilient Recovery, Md Moshiur Rahman

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

Modern power distribution systems are rapidly evolving into cyber-physical, DER-rich, and data-driven networks that rely on extensive sensing, communication, automation, grid-edge intelligence, and operator decision support. While this transformation improves flexibility, observability and controllability, it also expands the cyber-attack surface and increases the risk that cyber intrusions can propagate into physical disturbances, compromised DER operation, degraded situational awareness, and interrupted service continuity. This dissertation advances the cyber-physical security and resilience of modern distribution systems by developing a high-fidelity real-time cyber-physical hardware-in-the-loop testbed using OPAL-RT, EXata CPS, industrial relays, SCADA/RTAC, HMI, and grid-edge devices to emulate realistic DER-integrated distribution grid operation. …

Mathematical Modeling And Characterization Of A Variable Stiffness Ankle-Foot-Orthosis, David E.L. Richards

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

Conventional ankle–foot orthoses (AFOs) typically employ static stiffness profiles that do not replicate the dynamic quasi-stiffness of the human ankle during gait. Variable stiffness mechanisms (VSMs) offer a promising alternative solution for gait pathologies, such as foot drop and post-stroke hemiparesis; however, their implementation is limited by the lack of accurate mathematical models capable of predicting force and stiffness characteristics. The objective of this thesis is to develop and validate comprehensive mathematical models describing the kinematics and kinetics of a novel variable stiffness ankle–foot orthosis (VS-AFO). This study derives governing equations to characterize how mechanical adjustments influence the force transmission …

On Performance And Applications Of A Liquid Fueled Pulsed Flame Jet Igniter, Gerardo A. Rodriguez

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

As global demands for supersonic and hypersonic flight heighten, high-speed air breathing propulsion technologies stand out as a worthwhile direction to overcome many of the limitations that turbomachinery-based engines face at supersonic speeds. Air breathing propulsion concepts are attractive for their geometrical simplicity, using supersonic incoming air to provide compression. Scramjet flight vehicles operate within the hypersonic flight regime and have been a global research topic, especially in the 21st century, for defense and combined cycle engine architectures. As scramjet technology continues maturing towards widespread use, efforts have converged on liquid hydrocarbon fuels for storage, range, and operational benefits. Flight …

Evaluating The Brain-Muscle Connectivity Of Cyclic Ankle Pedaling Movement In A Clinical Setting, Matthew K. Shanosky

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

Clinical neurorehabilitation requires objective biomarkers to accurately detect and monitor neuromotor impairments. While traditional metrics are favored for their efficiency and minimal equipment demands, they typically rely on subjective observation and lack physiological resolution. High-resolution electrophysiological technologies, such as electroencephalography (EEG) and electromyography (EMG), offer objective insights into nervous system dynamics; however, prolonged data acquisition times have hindered their translation into frontline clinics. To bridge this translational gap, this study developed a time-efficient experimental paradigm designed for rapid clinical deployment. Healthy participants completed two initial resting baseline trials before performing an externally paced, dynamic, cyclic ankle movement task utilizing simulation …